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Livestock Water Management
Topics ] *Water Withdrawals for Agricultural (livestock) Purposes *Factory Farms & Waste Management *Wastewater Runoff & Impacts *Policy & Regulation *Best Management Practices Introduction This article examines livestock water use and explores the impact of wastewater runoff on downstream water quality. Current farming practices are criticized as unsustainable and inhumane and pose a significant threat to environmental and public health. The emergence of industrial farms, also known as factory farms or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s), has transformed the way livestock are raised in the United States. Small to midsize farms, including the majority of beef, dairy, and poultry production, are rapidly being replaced and consolidated into large, industrial-scale feeding lots. The objective of these facilities is to maximize revenue. This is being done by confining thousands of animals on relatively small pieces of land 1. Due to the extreme volume of animal waste and limited space, proper waste management at these facilities is a nearly impossible task. Improperly managed waste poses a significant threat to the health of America's waterways. The runoff from CAFOs is a toxic brew - teeming with pollutants - damaging aquatic habitats, killing fish and threatening drinking water supplies 2. The EPA has blamed current farming practices for 70% of the pollution in the nation's rivers and streams. The agency reports that runoff of chemicals, silt, and animal waste from US farmland has polluted more than 173,000 miles of waterways 3. No easy solution exists to solve the problem of agricultural water demand and wastewater runoff emanating from factory farms and contaminating watersheds. Increased population growth will further drive demand for greater food production. It will be increasingly important to find a better balance between food production and protecting the environment and human health. A return to traditional farming has great appeal but will need to be modified in order to be able to feed our population as it so desires. Livestock Water Use Livestock water use includes groundwater and surface water associated with livestock watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. The water may be used for drinking, cooling, sanitation, waste disposal, and other needs related to the animals. During 2000, livestock water withdrawals were an estimated 1,760 mgal/d, or 1,980 thousand acre-feet per year 8. Widespread overgrazing disturbs water cycles, reducing the replenishment of surface and groundwater resources. In addition, significant amounts of water are withdrawn for the production of feed 13. Follow the link, National Geographic: The Hidden Water We Use, to find out how much water it takes to produce items such as a gallon of wine, pound of wheat, 0.3-pound burger, a kilowatt-hour of solar power, and the list continues... Check it out. The numbers will surprise you. Factory Farms & Waste Management Systems Some startling statistics: *During the past 30 years, the number of hog farms in the United States dropped from 650,000 to 71,000, yet the number of hogs remains almost the same 10. *In 1999, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 2% of the hog farms in the country produce over 46% of the total number of hogs. In beef, more than 40% of all production comes from 2% of the feedlots 3. *Ten large companies produce more than 90% of the nation's poultry 4. *It is not uncommon to see dairies with more than 2,000 cows, broiler houses with over 125,000 birds or swine operations tipping the scale at 10,000+ hogs 3. There are many criticisms in regards to this form of farming, including the problem of waste and water management. Animals produce waste, factory farms concentrate thousands of animals on relatively small parcels of land, generating massive amounts of waste and using large quantities of water without effective methods of treatment or disposal. It is a bit difficult to comprehend the magnitude of waste produced at a factory farm. Included are some statistics to give a better sense of the immense quantity of waste to be managed. An animal unit is defined as a 1,000 pound animal, the approximate weight of a cow. Each animal generates about 50-60 pounds of manure per day. Therefore, a beef feedlot with 1,000 animals produces approximately 21,000,000 pounds of manure per year 3. Annually, CAFO's produce 100 times more manure than the amount of human sewage sludge processed in US municipal wastewater plants 2. Factory farms generate 500 million tons of manure annually 1. ] No fool proof method exists to handle all of this waste. Because of the large volume of waste produced, manure is rarely disposed of properly in such a way that kills or inactivates the pathogens 3. Storage methods: CAFO's store their liquefied waste in large cesspits called lagoons, or in piles of solids called "litters"1. Manure is typically stored for many months, often in giant outdoor pits 2. In some cases, the waste lagoons are as large as several football fields. In addition, farms often use the manure as fertilizer, spraying potentially harmful substances onto the land, air and, ultimately, water 10. Runoff & Contaminates How do Factory Farms Pollute Water? Contaminants present in animal wastes can enter the environment through multiple different transport pathways. Waste can reach waterbodies via surface runoff, air transport or redeposition and groundwater flow 4. The transport paths have the potential to be either directly or indirectly affecting watersheds 5. *Direct effects occur when wastes flow directly into a receiving waterbody as a result of poor storm ater management or in the unfortunate event where the containment facilities fail. *Indirect effects occur when wastes have been applied to a field and are subsequently moved into waterbodies by runoff after rainfall, percolation into groundwater with subsequent entry into streams or tile drain lines. Copied below is an excerpt extracted from an article published on the Michigan Sierra Club website. The article summarizes how feed lots can cause water pollution. According to the Sierra Club, water pollution is possible at virtually any point in a CAFO's operation 12. *In the production area, spills,, overflows, and tracking of wastes on tractor and truck tires can cause surface runoff of contaminants. *Stormwater that mixes with manure wastes, silage leachate, or milkhouse wastes can flow into drains. *Pipes or hoses carrying wastes can break or become unattached. Waste storage structures can overflow or burst. *Field tiles or catch basins can be installed that drain waste directly into surface waters. Pollutants commonly found in the waste of animals raised in factory farms include nutrients, organic matter, pathogens, solids, pesticides & hormones, antibiotics, trace elements, sediments, and heavy metals 6. Nutrients: Nitrogen, ammonia & phosphorous - all of which can reduce oxygen levels, promote growth of algal blooms and contaminate drinking water & killing aquatic species. Pathogens: Parasites, bacteria & viruses - can cause disease in humans. Pesticides & Hormones: Associated with hormone-related changes in fish. Antibiotics: Approximately 70-80% (29 million pounds) of the nation's antibiotics are added to animal feed every year. They are used to prevent and limit disease caused by the close confinement of livestock. Widespread use of antibiotics on animals is contributing to the rise of resistant bacteria 7. Negative impacts of animal waste: case studies 1) North Carolina, 1999: Hurricane Floyd swept through the state, causing at least 5 lagoons to break and flooding approximately 47 lagoons 10. 2) Gulf of Mexico: Area referred to as the "dead zone" because there is not enough oxygen to support aquatic life. Nutrients in animal waste cause algal blooms, robbing the water of oxygen. The dead zone fluctuates in size, in 2010 it stretched over 7,700 square miles 10. ] 3) Maryland & North Carolina: Outbreaks of Pfiesteria Piscicida have been associated with runoff from hog & chicken factory farms. This toxic microorganism has been implicated in the death of millions of fish and has caused health problems for the people living in nearby communities 10. Policy & Regulation In most cases the law does not require that livestock waste be treated. In 2002, the EPA and USDA announced a new set of regulations for CAFO's. The objective of the "Final Rule" is to control runoff from animal feeding operations. In doing so, limiting the number of pollutants found in manure and wastewater. The new legislation encompasses approximately 15,500 livestock operations across the United States. All large CAFO's are required to apply for a permit, submit an annual report and develop a management plan for handling manure and wastewater 11. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations - Final Rule (EPA CAFO Regulations) Best Management Practices How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of factory farms: "Pasture-raised animals roam freely in their natural environment where they're able to eat nutritious grasses and other plants that their bodies are adapted to digest. In addition to dramatically improving the welfare of farm animals, pasturing also helps reducing environmental damage 2." Antibiotic free & primarily grain free More regulation, increased public awareness and consumer pressure will be important factors driving the future of the food industry. Educating consumers about the food they eat, where it comes from, the environmental impact and the public health concerns may persuade a change of habits. Stringent regulations should be put in place to treat animal waste, but more importantly, the problem should be targeted at the source. CAFO's are unsustainable and unhealthy, problems arise and they are treated accordingly. Typically leading to a many new problems ie antibiotics. It would be rise to reject the concept of animal feeding lots and focus on smaller, more humane facilities with better waste management practices. Alternative farming practices "States and the federal government should promote methods of raising livestock that reduce the concentration of animals and use manure safely. Many alternative methods exist; they rely on keeping animal waste drier, which limits problems with spills, runoff and air pollution 7." Preference towards locally grown food coming from small to mid-size family run operations. "Among the most profitable of the new sustainable/local alternatives are grass-based, free-range, and pastured livestock and poultry. Pastured and free-range poultry production became popular because of growing concerns about health and food safety and about inhumane growing conditions in industrial poultry production. Contrary to claims of critics, sustainable farmers can produce just as much or more food than can their industrial farming neighbors. Sustainable farming just requires more intensive management" http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/Fairfield%20IA%20-%20Economics%20of%20CAFOs.htm Clean Water Act - should pass legislation that makes owning and operating factory farms nearly impossible and, alternatively, provides incentives to bolster and encourage smaller, pasture raised livestock practices. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The goal of establishing a TDML is to help comply with the Clean Water Act by limiting the amounts of a specific pollutant from point and non-point sources. By doing so, factory farms are guaranteed to be blacklisted as major polluters. Forcing them to either change their practices or shut down. See how the Clean Water Act can influence farming practices.http://www.foodroutes.org/doclib/241/PastureRaisedH20.pdf Check out the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan - Great source for more information. http://michaelpollan.com/books/the-omnivores-dilemma/ Works Cited 1' http://www.sierraclub.org/communities/factoryfarms/' 2 http://www.sustainabletable.org 3 Risk Managment for CAFOs http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r04042/600r04042.pdf 4 http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/ffarms.asp 5 Watershed Stressors in CAFO Waste 6 http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/agricultural/afo.html 7 http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/nspills.asp 8 http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1268/htdocs/text-lv.html 9 http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html 10 http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/ffarms.asp 11 http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wwm/waste.asp 12 http://michigan.sierraclub.org/issues/greatlakes/articles/cafofacts.html 13 http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html 14 http://www.marinebiology.edu/Phytoplankton/gom.htm